Trinity
by Grendle1853
Summary: Everyone has an idea about how the DC Trinity first came together. Mine starts with a date.
1. Date

I own none of these characters, nor do I wish to make money for this story. Please do not sue me. As always all thanks go to my BETA Hepburn!

…

"Lois, I swear I'm just doing this for charity," Clark Kent tells his fiancé.

"Ah huh," she answers, still not returning his gaze. _Barely a superhero for four months and already she wants him_, she thinks to herself.

"Honey I swear, nothing will happen," the poor man pleads.

"Oh, my dear, I know," she says finally looking at him, "Because if something did happen, you would have a brand new archenemy," she steps closer and whispers in his ear, "one capable of making your life a living hell." And with that she storms out of the room and slams the door.

Kent sighs. In a flash he is changed into his red and blues and is off. "Well this is starting out well."

…

Superman has three big problems with this evening so far:

1. He is on a date. He just got engaged for Pete's sake and he is here on a date! Like he told Lois he is here for a cancer charity, but still it just does not feel right.

2. He is on a date with a stranger. With the VERY beautiful Amazon Princess/Superhero Wonder Woman, who is not only new to him but also to the whole world. Not only that but he has a secret identity to worry about.

And of course 3. The charity decided that the date should be on neutral ground, so where did they pick? Gotham…

"So, Kal-El," the dazzling princess in red, white and blue says, "tell me about yourself."

Superman represses the gulp reflex and instead focuses his mind on the Alien hero mindset. "Well for starters my first name is just Kal, El is my family name," he answers.

The princess smiles a stunning smile, causing the blood of all near by straight men to begin flowing faster and downward. "Kal," she says, "I like it."

"I'm from a planet called Krypton. Unfortunately it was destroyed some time ago. As far as I know I'm the only survivor."

"That sounds so sad, being the last of your kind," she says.

"Sometimes…yes. But I've come to see humans as my new people and Earth as my new home, which is why I use my powers to help them," he answers.

"And you do have some amazing powers Kal. Did all of your kind have such powers?" Diana asks.

"Any who live under a Yellow sun would, but my planet revolved around a Red one," he answers. Finding an idea to get the conversation off of him for a moment Kent asks, "So how did you get your powers?"

"My mother the queen, and to some degree all Amazons are gifted by our gods, but I was blessed by my patron goddesses and god with more," she answers. "However a huge amount of our capabilities come from the training. Everyday my sisters and I would train in martial arts, archery, weaponry, combat tactics, meditation, and all over athletics. It bound us together and gave us all inner strength, made us capable of handling any obstacle or adversary. Was your childhood similar?" she asks.

"I…grew up on a farm," the Kansas boy answers.

"Oh. Um…" The princess pauses and takes a sip of her wine. After another moment she asks, "So, um, what were farms like on Krypton?"

Before answering the Man of Steel takes a second and hopes, for the first time, that Lex Luther would make an attempt on his life. Once that hope is dashed he patches together an answer. "A little hard to explain. They weren't…much different from the farms on Earth. In fact we cultivated something very similar to corn," he answers. _Cultivated? Very good Kent, that sounded all high-tech and alien_, his inner Bruce mocked.

"So what do you think about the other heroes so far?" Superman quickly asked before the lovely woman could come up with another question about alien agriculture.

"Oh the ones I've met are brave and bold individuals, but I've noticed something about them all that I'm finding troubling," she answers.

Clark, intrigued, leans forward and asks, "Really? What is it?"

"Well it is that they all wear masks!" Diana answers. "Now I am not a fool. I understand the reasons for doing so in mans world, and I think no lesser of them for it, but I never feel like I'm talking to the real person. Which is why I'm glad to meet you."

Superman's eyes open wide, "Me? Why?…Er I mean how so?"

"Well you don't have a secret identity obviously. When I speak to Superman I am speaking to Kal-El. You have no reason to hide and can be honest with me," she tells him.

Now Clark Kent/Superman/Kal El is trying very hard not to sweat, and at the same time come up with some kind of answer to that. "Yes…well…that is nice," he stammers, "isn't it?"

"Yes. It is," she answers. The appetizers arrive and they stop to eat quietly for a few minutes. "Kal, I think I know why you are so nervous," Diana says after a time, breaking the silence.

"Really?" he asks cautiously.

"Yes. A women you were very close to is now engaged to another man," she says.

"What?!" Clark asks confused.

"The reporter, Lois Lane," she explains, "recently she just announced her engagement to her partner, Clark Kent."

"Oh! Oh that's not, I mean, yes…" the Man of Steel takes a moment to collect his thoughts. "Yes she is, and I'm happy for them."

"Truly?" Diana asks.

"Truly. I think they make a good couple," _If I do say so myself_, he adds silently to himself.

"That is very considerate, and Amazon like of you to say that," Diana tells him. Her dinner partner decides to take that statement as a compliment.

The princess looks outside the restaurant window at the city bellow them. "This city seems to have a unique dark beauty, do you not think?"

"Honestly I never thought of it that way," he answers, looking out.

"It is whispered that one like us watches over this city from the shadows," she says.

"Oh someone watches over it, but he is defiantly like no one else I've ever met," Kal tells her.

"Your saying that you met this mythic figure, and that he truly exists?" she asks.

"Oh yes, I've met the Batman. In fact I consider him a friend," he answers.

Suddenly the skylight shatters and through it a black figure shrouded in a long cape falls through. The Batman instantly stands to his full and daunting height, and on his hands are spiked, electrified gauntlets.

In an instant the princess is out of her chair and readying her lasso, "He does not seem friendly to me!"

"Diana wait…" Superman starts to say. Before he can finish though, he hears something. A second later Wonder Woman cocks her head to the side, hearing it as well. "Oh Crap," the Man of Steel says. _Well at least this means the date is over._

"Kryptonian," the Batman says, regaining their attention, "They are swarming this building and I'm betting that they will all funnel into this room. I need you to get everyone out of this building, then make a perimeter and make sure no stragglers get back into my city."

"On it," Superman answers. Instantly he turns into a blur and starts getting people away.

A second later the Dark Knight turns to Wonder Woman, "Princess," she turns from the red and blue blur and looks back at him, "ready for battle?"  
The Amazon smiles, "Always!"

_TBC Tell me what you think!_


	2. Party Crashers

Hey everyone, thanks to those who reviewed, and as always thanks to my BETA Hepburn! Now, on with the story...

Rapidly the red and blue blur clears the room of people then moves on to the other floors. The windows of the room explode open and dozens of dwarfish, muscular, and savage creatures garbed in green and gold flood into the room. They attempt to swarm the two heroes waiting for them, but they find their prey more than prepared.  
With strength forged by Olympian gods and martial ability honed by centuries of Amazon training, Wonder Woman easily holds her ground, downing several of the flying monsters with every punch and kick, throwing them back broken into their densely packed horde. So acute are her senses and so formidable is her prowess that she is able to look over and see how her comrade is faring amidst the swirling melee.  
The Batman moves like shadow given form and cold ferocity. Moving far too quickly and flexibly than any man his size should be able to he somehow seems to dodge every talon and spear while keeping up a fast precise series of attacks, and the only sound he emits is the harsh zaps and thuds of his spiked electric gauntlets striking his foes.  
The pile of their vanquished opponents is growing larger around them, but it seems as if the swarm is nearly endless. Out of the corner of her eye Wonder Woman sees one of the garish beasts that is three times the size of its brethren, which gives her an idea. She whips out her lasso and snags the over sized monster with it, then pulls hard and uses her lasso and the heavy thing like a ball and chain, spinning it around the room and cuts through the ranks of hovering foes. As she does the Dark Knight dodges under, over, and around it while taking out any enemies the Amazon's weapon doesn't cut down.  
Once the air is clear the Princess spins the captured creature over her head and smashes it down head first on the ground. The room is completely covered in piles of beaten green and gold monsters as Wonder Woman retrieves her lasso. One of the little devils is left hovering in the air, looking back and forth between the two heroes seemingly unsure of what to do. Before it can make up its mind a heat-vision blast sends it crashing to the ground as Superman flies in.  
"I got everyone to a minimum safe distance and made sure none of them got away," he stops and surveys the carnage, "Looks like you two had fun."  
"Yes. This is the better than any date I could have imagined," Diana answers with a smile.  
Batman crouches down and begins examining one of the fallen that littered the floor, "Either of you recognize these things?"  
"No, they are nothing like the creatures and beasts the gods or Titans use," Wonder Woman answers.  
"They look alien to me, but beyond that I honestly can't say," Superman says, "Where did they come from?"  
"I saw them come out of some dimensional rift a few miles away," Batman explains, "It was loud. I'm surprised you didn't hear it?"  
"I think I did, but it sounded like thunder so I assumed a storm was coming in," Superman answers.  
"I think one still is. It is obvious these creatures came here for us," Wonder Woman says.  
"For one of you at least, yes." Batman answers, standing up. "And unfortunately for them they did it in my city. Which is why I'm going to track these things down and show them the error of their ways."  
"I was attacked by these creatures. I wish to be kept, how do you say it, 'in the loop'?" Wonder Woman tells him.  
The Batman, ever so slightly, cocks his head to the side. "Of course, Princess."  
"Good," Superman says, getting both of their attentions, "Since this is his city Batman will start investigation, and once he finds something he'll contact us so we can move forward does that sound like a plan?"  
"Yes, but how..." Diana turns to the Dark Knight, but finds that he has disappeared. She looks back at Superman and raises an eyebrow.  
The Man of Steel shrugs, "Yeah...he does that. You'll get used to it," he answers. Superman begins to float into the air. "All right I have somewhere I need to be, so I'll talk to you later Diana," he says while flying away.  
Diana crosses her arms, "I could have sworn I heard these dates end with a kiss."  
"Raaa!" one of the creatures at her feet shrieked. She silences it with a quick boot to the head.

…

Superman flies home to find his wife to be in her pajamas sitting on the couch. "Oh great, you're home," Lois says, keeping her eyes fixed on the TV, "Have fun on your date?"  
Clark changes out of his costume with superhuman speed and snuggles up next to her, "Not at all. In fact the best part of the night was when we got attacked," he answers.  
"Oh, poor baby," Lois says. She moves in for a kiss, then abruptly stops and pulls back, "but honestly do you think that you're off the hook?"  
"No but I have some good ideas on how to make it up to you," Clark answers, smiling.  
"Really? When?" she retorts.  
"Right here, right now," he tells her.  
Lois thinks for a second, "Hmm. No. I'm tired and you've had way too much excitement. Also I think you need to spend a little bit more time in the penalty box," she tells him.  
"Okay, then how about tomorrow night?" he asks.  
"Better. And you have better do something awesome to earn forgiveness," she says. Then she gets up and starts walking to the bedroom. As she goes, her fiancé can't help but stare at her hips as they move from side to side, "And stop looking at my ass alien!" she shouts playfully back.  
"Hey its strictly 'Farm boy' or 'Smallville' to you woman!" he shouts back. Lois laughs as she closes the door behind her.

…

Alfred stares disapprovingly at his ward as he sits in front of the giant computer monitor. "I suppose that sleep is, once again, completely out of the question master Bruce?" he asks.  
"Clark and Wonder Woman were just attacked by a swarm of probably alien monsters in my city Alfred. That is unacceptable and needs to be handled immediately," Batman answers.  
The butler walks forward to stand next him and looks up at the screen, "Hmm, not really surprising though is it? The two of them together, out in the open, in public?" he asks.  
"No. The idiots running the charity made them a target," he answers, not looking away from his work.  
"Yes, it certainly got them a lot of media attention though. Mr. Kent has always had broad appeal, and the Amazon Superhero is quite fetching. Do you think Ms. Lane has anything to fear from her?" Alfred asks.  
"No," Batman deadpans. "Clark isn't one to stray, not even for someone as beautiful as Diana."  
Alfred turns and gives his ward an interested look for several seconds. Eventually Batman looks over at him and asks, "What?"  
"Beautiful?" Alfred simply asks.  
"Yes, so? It is an accurate description of her," Bruce defends.  
"Quite true master Bruce. Though in the past you would normal say 'attractive' in such a case. In fact I believe the only women you've described as beautiful while wearing that cowl have been Ms. Selina Kyle," Alfred explains, "Well maybe Ms. Talia al Ghul."  
"Alfred I think maybe you are reading too much into this," Bruce suggests.  
" Maybe, but I think not. There is also the fact that you called her Diana," Alfred continues.  
"It is her name," Bruce says.  
"Again, quite true. But as my memory serves me the only hero you've ever referred to on a first name basis is Mr. Kent," Alfred explains, "In the brief time that you have known her, her Highness seems to have quite an affect on you master Bruce. Tell me, during the fight, did the princess's long dark hair or athletics catch your eye?"  
Bruce takes off his mask and rubs his eyes, "Alfred...the mass spec is running and it should take a couple of hours, and it doesn't really need me down here to watch over it. And I'm tired, so I am going to bed," he says then he gets up and walks away.  
"Very good master Bruce. Oh and nice segue to avoid answering my question." Alfred tells his retreating form. "Pleasant dreams."

_TBC. Tell me what you think of it guys. Oh and a gold star to anyone who can identify the little monsters._


	3. A Princess and a Knight under the sewer

Thanks everyone who reviewed, especially my BETA Hepburn. ShadowMajin give yourself a gold star!

…

The night after the attack, Diana of Themyscira sleeps in her bed, and she dreams of superheroes. She dreams of warm arms around her flying her through bright blue skies and then of others holding her in deep shadows. She shifts between blue and red to black, from handsome blue eyes to white lenses in masks. She dreams of her fingers dancing over tight muscles, of hot lips on her breast, and strong hips between her thighs in. In the morning she awakens in a sweaty in bed and smiles at the memory of Morpheus's gifts. "So many wonderful choices in Man's World, how is a woman to choose?"

She quickly gets ready and goes out to face a fairly uneventful day, a building on fire, a humanitarian aid mission, and an Angle Man attack, nothing too spectacular. Then as nightfalls she returns to her hotel room in Gotham, the same room she has stayed in since the attack during her date. The room is lavish, paid for with money obtained by selling a few Amazonian trinkets that her mother gave her for that very purpose (at a price she thought ludicrous). There she strips off her armor and takes advantage of what she thinks is the true miracle of man's world. "By the gods!" she exclaims as the hot water sprays down over her from the showerhead. "Mother when you said this world had nothing to offer you were greatly mistaken."

Sometime later she steps out of the bathroom, clean, refreshed, and wrapped in a towel. "Princess," she hears a deep baritone say. She looks over to see the Dark Knight standing on her balcony.

Though the memory of her dreams quickly flash through her mind, Diana crosses her arms and gives him an annoyed look. "Isn't it rude to drop in on a woman unannounced. Particularly when she is undressed?" She asks him.

"Your hero outfit is hardly less revealing than the towel Princess," he answers.

"Why are you here?" She asks, shaking her head.

"I've uncovered something regarding the attack, and you did say you wanted to be 'in the loop.'" he answers.

"Give me a moment," she says, picking up her armor and taking it to another room to change. When she returns she finds him waiting patiently in the same spot. "Where is Kal?" she asks.

"Superman has something important he needs to tend to, he won't be coming," he answers.

…

Lois Lane stands in her home and looks at her husband to be, "Okay… Impress me," she says.

"Well for starters I have personally prepared your favorite meal, by hand," Clark says gesturing to the dinning table, "I have White Snake ready to go in the sound system," he continues pointing to surround, "and I am dressed the way you find pleasing," he says. At the moment he is dressed in a button up flannel shirt, completely open with nothing underneath, and a pair of torn up jeans.

"Not bad, not bad," she says grinning, "Continue."

"Lantern and Steel have agreed to patrol Metropolis tonight and to only interrupt us if the Apocalypse starts. And there is this," he says pointing to a piece of blue Kryptonite strapped to his wrist, temporarily nullifying his powers.

"Pretty good," she admits, "anything else?"

"Well there is this," he says pulling a fist sized yellow diamond from behind his back.

"Oh Smallville its beautiful! Did you make this?" she asks, holding it in her hands.

"Yeah, and the yellow color was not easy to do," he answers.

"Oh Clark," she says wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Too bad you cooked though."

He pulls back and looks at her, "I thought you loved my cooking," he asks?

"Oh I do," she says. Then she whispers in his ear, "But I'm not hungry for food," before she drags him to the bedroom.

…

"Guess its up to us then," Wonder Woman says, "What did you find out?"

"There was a second dimensional rift that occurred the same time as the other, but it was smaller and underground," Batman answers.

"That is where we're going now I take it?" she says.

"Yes," he answers. "Can you fly?"

"The gods have yet to gift me with that power," she answers, "but lord Hephaestus has bestowed upon me a magical device which will turn into an invisible version of any vehicle I wish to use. I typically use it as an invisible jet."

"Just keep up," he tells her. Then he leaps over the railing, his cape reaching out like black wings as he glides over the streets. When he starts to loose altitude the Batman shoots out a grapple which attaches to a near by building, this he uses for a wide swing for him to glide to the roof a skyscraper. Once there he turns to see how his partner for the night will approach.

The Amazon Superhero takes a running leap off the balcony, soaring in a wide arc over the City of Darkness. When she begins to fall to the asphalt below she throws out her golden lasso and snatches a gargoyle and uses it to anchor a wide swing landing easily and gracefully next to the Dark Knight.

She smiles triumphantly before they take off again and the Batman leads her through his city to the East End.

…

The two stand on a squat building over looking the seedier side of Gotham. Wonder Woman looks in disgust at the neon signs for strip clubs, and with pity at the barely dressed prostitutes who standing at the corners. "Why is it that men find such pleasure in debasing women?" she asks.

_Simply to annoy you Princess_, Batman thinks but decides to keep to himself. "There is our best entry point," he says pointing at a manhole cover in a dark alley.

They both silently make their way to the ground then descend into the sewers. After Batman reseals the hole, they are left in total darkness. "Do you need a light source?" he asks.

Wonder Woman holds up her lasso, which begins glowing a golden light, illuminating their filthy covered surroundings. "Lead the way," she tells him.

The Dark Knight leads them through several equally unpleasant sewer paths before they come to a large chamber with foul murky water flowing through the right half of it and several passages branching out of it.

As they walk through this chamber Diana stops him and says, "I hear rats."

"So?" he asks.

"Hundreds of them, moving as one," she explains.

The Batman looks forward and draws to sharp blades, one in each hand. "I wondered when you would get the courage to show yourself again Otis," he says.

Out of a near by passage walks a man wearing a green jumpsuit with rubber boots and gloves and a gasmask. He is armed with a man-catcher and a gas gun, and is followed by a swarm of swear rats. "Mock all you want Batman, but you are in my territory now!"

"Friend of yours?" Wonder Woman asks.

"Ratcatcher, one of my lesser enemies," he answers. "You can't take me when I'm alone, what makes you think can challenge us both, single-handedly?" he asks.

"Oh alone I'd be nothing compared to you. But I'm not alone," Ratcatcher answers.

"I don't think either of us is afraid of rodents little man," Diana tells him.

"Who said anything about rodents?" he asks.

Behind the two a large reptilian beast, known and feared as Killer Croc, springs out of the water, grabs Wonder Woman, and plunges back beneath the surface. Then Ratcatcher sends his swarm for Batman.

As the little monsters overtake him, the Batman covers his face and crouches low. For a second a blanket of hungry, hairy rodents covers the hero. Then the Dark Knights suit emits an electric surge that kills most of beasts and sends the rest scurrying away. "My babies!" the gas-mask wearing villain shouts. "You'll pay for that!" Then three huge rats, each half the size of a man, charge out from the darkness behind their master and head straight for the Caped Crusader. The Batman dodges to left and slashes with his right, killing the giant rat in the lead. Then he does the reverse and kills the second. The third leaps for his face, and he ducks down and holds a blade up, using the rat's own momentum to slice it open from snout to tail.

"NO!" Ratcatcher yells, pointing his gas gun at his hated foe. Before he can fire the Dark Knight throws the batarang in his right hand and guts the hose running from the gun to the tank. Before Otis can think of anything the Batman is across the room and delivers and shattering punch to his gut.

The criminal falls forward and clutches his gut as Batman rips the mask off of his face. "You think you've won?" he asks the Dark Knight, "Idiot, don't you know what Croc is doing to your girlfriend right now?"

On cue the large, scaly, and rather beaten form of Killer Croc is thrown from the water and slams face first into a near by wall. A second later Wonder Woman leaps clear from the water and lands on her feet, none the worse for wear. "Oh..." Otis says pathetically before the Dark Knight renders him unconscious with a blow to his chin.

The Batman restrains the two villains then walks over to Diana. "Croc give you any problems?" he asks.

"No, but I think I need to practice fighting underwater," she answers, ringing out her long dark locks.

Batman leans forward for a second, then retreats and shakes his head in bemusement. "What?" The Princess asks.

"You just came out of a river of sewage, and not only are you clean, but you're barely messy. You even smell as good as you did in your hotel room," he says.

Diana shrugs, "Having Lady Aphrodite as my patron has certain fringe benefits," she explains. She looks over at him, "You notice how I smell do you?" she asks.

"I notice a lot of things Princess," he answers calmly, before turning and continuing on their way.

"So I'm starting to notice," she says, following behind.

_TBC. Reviews are always welcome guys, tell me what you think!_


	4. Investigation and Home Invasion

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and as always a special thanks to my BETA Hepburn! On with the show...

Batman and Wonder Woman continue walking down the sewer tunnel towards their destination. "So how well do you know Superman?" Diana asks.

"Why do you ask?" Batman retorts.

"Because I am curious about the two of you, and would like to know you both better," she tells him.

Batman considers this for a second before answering, "I know him better than most."

"How did you two first meet?"

"One of my enemies went to his city, I followed. One of his enemies teamed up with one of mine, and the two of us joined forces to take them down," he explains.

_I'm going to have to ask Kal to tell me that story,_ she thinks to herself. "Were you fast friends?" she asks.

The Batman thinks back on that first meeting and smirks, "Not exactly."

Some time later the two come to the end of their journey and find a perfectly round door sized burnt hole in the side of the tunnel, which leads into a large chamber. Upon reaching it Batman flings something across the chamber, which sticks high on the far wall and then baths the room in bright white light. As Batman analyzes the side of the hole with a device from his belt, Wonder Woman carefully steps inside and searches the floor.

"There are tracks here. Some look like they are from a man. The others look like dogs. Very large dogs," Wonder Woman says.

"How big?" Batman asks, glancing her way.

"Cerberus big. At least six."

"That's a pleasant thought," Batman says. Suddenly the device in his hand beeps. He reads the report that plays across his cowl's lenses. "Damn."

"What is it," Diana asks.

"A criminal organization in Metropolis called Intergang has recently been using highly advanced weaponry of an unknown origin. I was analyzing the weapons that were recovered from them to help Superman determine where they came from." Batman tells her.

"And one such weapon was used to make that hole," Wonder Woman finishes. "So the swarm last night was a distraction, but why would they attack here and not in his home city, the base of their operations?"

"Because he was here, that was public knowledge. What do you think would happen if I hadn't shown up before the attack?" he asks.

She thinks for a second before she answers, "The two of us would have been able to defeat the creatures, but some of the civilians may have been hurt and some of the creatures could have escaped into the city."

"The two of you would have separated to track them down, giving them opportunity to ambush him alone on unfamiliar ground," he says.

"Why would they not plan for you?" she asks.

"Outside of my city few believe I exist," he answers. He looks at the tracks on the ground. "Dogs are used for tracking."

"They would need his scent," she says.

"Not hard to get, his cape gets shredded regularly. A piece of that would work," he answers. "How far to your Invisible Jet?"

In answer Diana pulls out a translucent disk from the back of her belt. "How far to the surface?"

…

Clark Kent and his fiancée lay naked, sweaty, and generally post-coital in bed. "Whew!" Lois says, fingering the blue rock strapped to her fiancé's arm, "Mr. Kent you are forgiven."

Clark chuckles, "That's good," he says.

The two lay there enjoying the afterglow until it is interrupted by the sound of Clark's cell phone. "Always something," Lois comments.

Clark grabs the phone and looks at who's calling. Suddenly he bolts into a sitting position. "Its Batman," he says.

Lois sits up and looks at him with a worried look on her face, "I don't suppose he's asking if we made up?" she asks sarcastic/nervously.

Clark opens the phone and holds it to his ear, "Batman?" he asks.

"Superman you've got incoming!" the Dark Knight answers.

Instantly Clark is on his feet, trying to pull the blue Kryptonite off his arm while staying on the phone. "What is it?!" he asks.

"Aliens, they've been tracking you since the swarm," Batman answers.

The two hear the loud crash of their front door being crashed through. "Get down!" Clark yells at Lois a second before their bedroom door gets knocked in, and it and a huge dog in blue armor lands on top him and pin him to the floor.

Clark tries to keep the splintering wood between him and the dog's jaws as it snaps at him. "Lois get out of here!" he yells. Instead his fiancée crawls under the bed, reaches out, and snatches the blue rock off of his arm.

Clark's eyes flash and he throws the beast back the way it came, before he stands and in a blur he is in his red and blues. "Honey be a dear and get that thing out my house," Lois says.

Superman nods and steps through the doorway. The dog beast snarls and leaps for his face. He easily catches it in midair. As it fights his grasp Superman calmly carries it onto the balcony, gives it a thunderous punch to its head, then flings it into orbit.

"Superman!" someone shouts from bellow. The hero looks over the railing to see a hovercraft rise up. Standing on the craft is a large man dressed in green with a pointed hat and cape, with yellow skin and a goatee. In one hand he holds a long sparking whip, in the other an ax. In front of him stand five other dogs. "I am Steppenwolf! Greatest hunter of Apokolips! I have come to drag you, bloody and defeated, to the feet of Lord Darkseid!" he shouts.

Superman cracks his knuckles and hovers into the air. "You like to talk huh? Lets see how much you talk after I knock out your teeth."

…

As she flies them through the air Diana glances back at her passenger. Despite the fact that he outwardly shows nothing, she thinks he's anxious. "He'll be fine. He can take care of himself," she assures him.

"Yes he can," Batman agrees. "Every now and then though the idiot makes the mistake of thinking he's invulnerable."

"You mean he's not?" she asks.

"No one is," he answers.

_TBC. If your curious I'm using the Smallville form of Blue Kryptonite. Reviews are always welcome!_


	5. Apokolips in Metropolis

A special thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed, and a even specialer one goes out to my BETA Hepburn! Here is chapter 5 everybody!

...

"Attack my damned hounds!" Stephenwolf shouts. At that command thrusters pop out of the dog's armor and they all scatter into the air. Superman looks about in surprise at this, and then readies himself as they all begin to circle back at him from all directions. "Tell me, do you feel fear last son of Krypton?!" Stephenwolf mocks. Superman fires a heat vision blast at his hover-vehicle, and it spirals out of the air as the pack of flying beasts attack.

Superman clobbers one dog coming from his left and dodges the fangs of one coming at his face, but then a third flies up from underneath and clamps its jaws on his leg. Before he can throw it off another bites him on his right arm, and another on his waist, and the back of his neck. The dog beasts begin to yank and twist their heads, trying to tear their tough meal to chewable pieces.

Now in a bit of pain and greatly annoyed, Superman begins to spin as fast as he can, and the dogs find themselves trying desperately to hold on to the living hurricane. One by one they loose their grip and are flung into nearby buildings. Not giving his enemies time to recover, Superman starts shooting their thrusters with his heat vision, blowing the monstrous hounds up in balls of white fire. The last one though is able to dodge the blast and hurls itself, snarling jaws first, at the hero's throat. Superman waits patiently for the creature to come to him, and then when it's in reach he grabs a hold of it and snaps its neck.

Holding it now dead in his hands it now looks sadly like a normal dog. "Sorry. I don't think this was your fault," he says before landing on the ground and gently laying it down.

Superman finds the crashed hovercraft, but sees no signs of its pilot. "What's wrong Stephenwolf, you all talk?!" he shouts.

With a crack an electrified whip wraps around his neck. As the hero is electrocuted the villain in green shouts, "Hardly Kryptonian!" With his other hand Stephenwolf raises his ax then swings the weapon at Superman's neck!

Superman grabs the ax and barely holds it away from his flesh. The evil hunter pulls back the ax and kicks the hero in the back, driving him to his knees, before making another swing. This time Superman falls to his left and the ax blade chops into the ground. Next the Man of Steel grabs the whip with both hands (yelling in agony as the energy flows painfully into him) and pulls, forcing his enemy to stumble forward. When he is within reach Superman elbows him in the stomach, grabs him, and throws him over his head before grabbing the sparking lash and ripping it off of his neck.

Stephenwolf, keeping his grip on the ax, now gets up and begins expertly swinging it at the hero. Superman gets to his feet and dodges the blade, over and over again. Though the weapon keeps missing him, the hero keeps getting driven back, until his back hits a line of parked cars.

"Now let us end this!" the mad alien shouts as he charges at his prey. Superman smirks. Then he grabs a car in each hand and slams them together around his charging foe. The Man of Steel drops the cars on either side and then clobbers the stunned fiend in the jaw. The force of the blow throws the goatee-sporting villain across the street and imbeds him in the wall of the far building.

Superman walks over to his fallen foe and asks, "Are you really the best your boss had to throw at me?" he asks.

Stephenwolf spits out some blood then smiles. "No," he answers. Then he pulls out a metal box and pushes the button on it.

Behind Superman there is a loud booming noise as a white rift opens up in space-time. Out of the portal several figures step forth. One is a woman barely dressed in a top and a flowing green skirt, with yellow skin and wild green hair. She has claws extending from her knuckles and a maniacal grin on her face. Another is large, dressed in red and gold, with her head covered in a helmet and sporting heavy metal boots. Yet another is clothed in a tight black body suit, with silver bands around it and around her head, and two sparking silver lashes in her hands. Lastly a squat and horribly ugly old woman stands behind them with white hair, wearing a cape, and holding a staff.

"Girls fetch Granny our new plaything," the old woman commands.

"Any thing for you Granny," the one in black answers.

Before the portal closes, it spews out a flock of the flying dwarfs, the same kind that attacked at the hotel, who take to the air and spread about the city.

…

The Invisible Jet just reaches the outskirts of the city when the pair sees a swarm of the little flying monster. "Great more of those things," Diana says from the pilot seat.

"We can't let them attack the city, does this thing have any weapons?" Batman asks.

"You are looking at them," Wonder Woman says. She points the jet up high, then in a flash it disappears back into the little translucent disk, and the heroes are falling from the sky.

"Next time we're taking my plane!" Batman says before he pulls out a grapple and a batarang and gets to work.

…

Superman dances away from the electric lashes the woman in black is snapping at him. "I don't want to hurt you, so just stop this," Superman says.

"Oh the Female Furies always give Granny what she wants, isn't that right Stompa?" she says.

From his left the big women in red and gold leaps at him and kicks him in the side of the head, knocking him off his feet. "Of course Lashina, why can't this big idiot understand that!? Mad Harriet, you try to explain," Stompa says.

The green haired Fury leaps on Superman's prone form and begins slashing at him with her claws. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Female Furies do anything for Granny! Anything!" Harriet shouts as she slashes.

With a sweep of his arm, Superman knocks the clawed crazy woman into the air and struggles to his feet. Before he can steady himself Stompa lands on his shoulders feet first, knocking the hero back to the ground, then she starts stomping him into the dirt, making the Earth shake. "Wow we can't get this through your thick head, can we Mr. Man?" she asks.

As she raises her right foot up to stomp on him again The Man of Steel grabs it. Then he rises to his feet, easily holding her up as he does so. Stompa tries to kick him in the head with her other foot, but he grabs that one as well and head butts her in the stomach before pile driving her into the ground.

As he lets her go two lashes whip out from behind him and wrap around his neck, shocking the hell out of him. As she's electrocuting him Lashina leaps on his back and licks the side of his face. "You're fun! I like you! Why don't you just come with us, and after Granny is done schooling you we can have a lot more fun together," the Fury almost purrs into his ear as thousands of volts rip through him.

In response Superman lifts into the air a few feet, with her still on his back, then flies at great speed straight backwards into a wall, knocking the evil alien out. Superman then flies over to Granny and in rage shouts, "Anything else to throw at me?! Come on!"

Then Superman feels an ax blade lodge itself into his back. "Forgetting someone Superman?" Stephenwolf asks. The ax then sends an agonizing stream of energy into him through his wound, making the hero scream. A final energy bolt from Granny's staff knocks him out, and sends Superman's unconscious body to the ground.

"Oh my dear boy Lord Darkseid has such plans for you," Granny tells his fallen form.

Just after saying that, a batarang smacks her on the side of the head. Granny looks around and sees Batman and Wonder Woman running to retrieve their fallen friend. "Fiddlesticks! Stompa help Granny drag this poor fool through the tube. The rest of you, destroy them!" she shouts.

As Stompa picks up Superman's prone form Lashina and Stephenwolf square off against Wonder Woman and Mad Harriet goes after Batman.

"Your little boy toy is ours now," Lashina taunts, snapping her lash at Diana.

"Like Tartarus!" Diana yells. She advances on Lashina and the Fury wraps a lash around Diana's left bracelet. At first she smile in victory, but her smile quickly vanishes when she realizes that Diana is unaffected by the sparking weapon. Stephenwolf uses the distraction to make a swipe at her, which Wonder Woman blocks with her other bracelet before she pulls back with her caught arm, pulling Lashina to her whom she then punts into the air.

At the same time Mad Harriet is swiping her claws at Batman. "I'm going to love shredding you into little adorable pieces!" she shouts.

The Dark Knight ducks a backhanded slash to his face, and then deliver a right hook with his spiked gauntlet into her face. Harriet spins around from the force of the blow, then kicks her opponent's legs out from under him, sending him to the ground. Before Batman can move, the mad Fury leaps on top of him and stabs a claw into his side. As he groans in pain Harriet begins laughing with insane glee. "You're Fun! Heeehahahaaha!" The Dark Knight silences her laughter by jamming a black cylinder into her mouth. A second later it explodes, shooting flaming vapor out of the green haired woman's mouth. Smoke pours out of Mad Harriet's lips and her eyes roll back into her head before she collapses unconscious on to Batman's chest.

Meanwhile Stephenwolf is doing his best to fight Wonder Woman alone, swinging his ax at her with remarkable skill. Eventually the Amazon gets tired of the game and rips the weapon out of the hunter's hands before breaking it in two, tossing the pieces, and delivering five rapid kicks to her opponent knocking him down.

Before the Princess can finish him Lashina returns and gives her ally cover by snapping at Diana with her lashes. She dances away from her opponent's attacks for a moment, until she sees an opening and seizes it, smashing a punch into Lashina's breast which stuns her for the second it takes for Wonder Woman to hit her with a devastating round house kick.

The few seconds it takes for the Amazon to take out Lashina exposed her back to Stephenwolf, who takes advantage of this by pulling out a gun and shooting it at Diana. The gun shoots out a net with a line attached back to the gun. The net catches the heroine and then glows with energy, making her howl in pain.

"I've gotten myself a fine trophy today!" The villain mocks.

"Like hell," a dark voice whispers from behind him. A split second later a small metal sphere hits the alien weapon and erupts in a bright shower of sparks, destroying it.

With the gun destroyed the net's glow fades. Stephenwolf tries to make a run for it, passing Diana as she rips herself out of the bindings. The Amazon Princess catches up to him and grabs him. She delivers six quick and ever harder blows to his face, the last of which is so strong it knocks him out of her grasp and sends him flying backwards, unfortunately in the direction of the Portal and the Female Furies.

Lashina carries an unconscious Mad Harriet across as Stompa drags Superman and now Stephenwolf through. Granny hesitates a second to say, "Don't you worry my naughty darlings, the time will come for the rest of you soon," before departing.

Wonder Woman runs at full speed at the white rift, but with a boom it closes before she reaches it. She pounds the ground and yells in frustration. "Hera forgive us, we failed! Batman how do we rescue him now?" she asks looking back.

The Batman doesn't look at her and he doesn't move, he simply stands. The Princess begins to feel nervous worry eat into her gut. "Batman?" she asks while standing and taking a step towards him.

Before her eyes the Dark Knight sways then falls to the ground. She runs to his side and turns him over. He groans in pain and Diana sees a bloody gash in his side. "Batman..." is the last thing he hears before darkness falls over him.

_TBC. Reviews are welcome everyone, tell me what you think!_


	6. Unexpected Awakenings

As always I would like to thank my reviewers and give a special thanks to my BETA Hepburn! Here is chapter 6!

…

A day after the battle the city is slowly repairing the damage caused by the attack, and everyone is wondering one thing: Where is Superman?

Wonder Woman comes back to survey the wreckage, looking for clues, and ends up following a path of destruction up an apartment building. She determines that one of the armored dogs made the trail and she follows it to a wrecked door that barely is able to hang on its hinges, and in fact falls at the touch of her hand. She steps inside the apartment to find an army combat rifle pointed at her and, even more surprising, that it is in the hands of one Lois Lane.

"Lois?" she asks in a confused voice.

"Oh, its you," the other woman says lowering the weapon, "I know you have better things to do than break into my home!"

"The door was...ajar," Diana explains. "I was trying to piece together what happened before we arrived. From what I can tell what happened first was that one of the hounds came up this building and attacked Superman here, but that..." suddenly understanding strikes the Amazon, "Your fiancé, Clark...he is Superman."

"Wow, ya think?!" Lois asks, irritated.

"Lois I swear if I had known I would never had pursued..." Diana starts.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THAT NOW?!" the reporter shouts, before dropping the gun and crying into her hands.

Diana steps forward and places a comforting hand on Lois' shoulder, who surprisingly does not shrug it off. "I am sorry sister," she tells her.

Lane dries her eyes and collects herself. "I...I saw Batman go down," she says.

"He was injured, but he lives. Right now he is being cared for by the best physician I know," Wonder Woman assures her.

"I think he might be the man Clark respects the most… he loves him like a brother," Lois explains, "As long as he lives Batman will not be stopped until he finds him. When he does you be there, and give them hell."

"You may be assured of that Lois!"

…

Diana walks through a lush wood-lined meadow. She walks until she finds the master of the place. He has the body of a strong brown haired horse, but where the horse's head should be there is instead the upper body of a well-built bearded man. "Welcome Amazon Princess," he greets her.

"Thank you Chiron." she answers, "How does he fair?"

The centaur leads her across the meadow to a large flat stone, on which the Dark Knight lies. He is naked but for a white sheet covering his lower half. His eyes are closed, but they still move about, as if he cannot find peace even in rest. The spot where he was wounded is now closed and only a small discoloration gives evidence that it was ever there.

"He will live," Chiron tells her, "his body does not seem to understand the rules of nature and refuses to give up his ghost."

"His powers probably have something to do with that," Diana tells him.

"Powers?" Chiron asks. "Though he spits in the face of death, I assure you he is fully mortal. His body is trained and toned in ways not even the Spartans could have conceived, and the will within it is stronger than any other I know, but no other 'powers' lurk within him," he tells her.

She now looks upon the man with new light, and she feasts her eyes on his muscular form, for this is the first time that she has seen him out of uniform. Diana finds herself fascinated by the scars covering his flesh. She reaches out a hand and holds it just above his skin, close enough that she can feel the heat radiating off of him. She feels a strong desire to touch him, to trace the lines of his scars with the tip of her tongue, but she restrains herself and pulls her hand away. "When will he wake?" Wonder Woman asks.

"As I told you he is still a mortal. I doubt he will return from Morpheus' realm for another week," he tells her.

As if Batman heard him and wished to prove him wrong, the Dark Knight's blue eyes suddenly pop open and he sits up, wincing in pain and clutching his side. His hand goes to his face, searching for the cowl that is not there, and then he looks about his surroundings in confusion until his eyes rest on Chiron. "Cent...aur?" he asks slowly.

"Yes. I am known as Chiron," the ancient being answers.

"I brought you here so that he could heal you," Diana explains.

"Thanks," Batman says. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes then asks, "My clothes?"

"Over there," Chiron tells him, pointing to stone chair a few feet away with the batsuit piled on it.

The Batman tosses off the sheet then walks unashamed to reclaim his possessions. _Not that he has anything to be ashamed of_, Diana thinks to herself as she admires his naked form.

"How did you remove my uniform," Batman asks as he changes back into it.

Chiron rubs his hands at the memory of pain, "With great difficulty," he answers.

"Thank you again," he says, turning around fully dressed as the Bat. "Where are we?"

"In my home. I can command that path to take you back home if you like," the centaur answers.

"Then please have it take me to Gotham, I have a lot of work to do," he says already setting out.

"You mean we have a lot of work to do," Diana says, following him.

"This work I need to do on my own," Batman answers, "I'll call you when I find something," he tells her, leaving her behind.

…

Superman stands strapped into a device, with odd contraptions pressing into his head. Before him stands the vile hag introduced to him as Granny Goodness, and in her hands the control for the device.

"Now my sweet boy it is time to start teaching you all you need to know to serve Lord Darkseid," she tells him.

"This will not end the way you want it to," Superman calmly tells her.

"Oh you are very mistaken," she answers, pressing a button on the control. The device starts to spark and hum then suddenly the Man of Steel begins to howl in pain. "Let's start this easily. If you want the pain to stop, just tell me how beautiful I am," she commands.

…

Three days after waking the Batman stands in his cave. He had Azreal and Batwoman take over his patrols and has sequestered himself to nothing more than searching for his missing friend. His head aches from lack of sleep and nourishment, but what truly vexes him is his lack of progress.

"You need to eat," Alfred tells him from a respectable distance. _ And a shower couldn't hurt_, he thinks to himself.

"I'm not hungry," Bruce answers for the twelfth time.

"I never said you were, what I said was that you 'need' to eat," Alfred retorts.

Before Bruce can snap a response the intruder alert sounds. The Batman hits a key and suddenly the huge monitor before him shows a video of Wonder Woman in a strangely familiar posture flying down the tunnel that leads to them. Batman hits a switch and the video feed changes to ultraviolet, and now they can see the dim shape of a motorcycle under her. "Invisible motorcycle," Alfred remarks.

The Batman stands and walks a few steps to wait for her. When the invisible bike comes to a stop he asks, "How did you find this place?"

Diana hops off the bike and answers; "I made a sacrifice and prayed to the goddess Artemis for aid. In return she gifted me with the ability to speak with animals. Thus armed I returned to Gotham to ask the bats to lead me to their master, and they lead me here."

The Batman looks up at the winged mammals hanging from the cave ceiling. "I'm their master?" he asks.

"Well sir you have taught them not to defecate on you or your equipment," Alfred answers.

He glares back at Wonder Woman, "Why are you here?" he demands.

"It has been three days," she answers.

"It has been three days. And what I told you is that I would call you when I found something, and I have not. So since nothing is impeding my investigation that I need a superhuman freak to smash, why don't you go back to praying to your damn gods, and this time ask for help to find someone who it actually lost!" Batman shouts.

Undeterred and seemingly unaffected by the outburst, Diana takes his face in her hands and tells him, "It is not your fault."

All the rage and energy leave him and the Batman now feels smaller. "I didn't save him," he tells her.

"You saved me," she responds, "and together we will find Superman. And if anything has happened to him, we will punish those responsible."

Bruce looks deeply into her eyes and sees not a flicker of doubt. "How can you be so certain?" he asks her.

"The gods are not all I have faith in," she answers.

Though he would not admit it, the Batman takes great comfort in her words. He walks back to his chair and sits back down in front of the Batcomputer, with Wonder Woman following behind.

"Have you been able to make any headway?" she asks him.

"I've set up a network of satellites to scan the Earth for the energy signature of the alien portals," he answers, "if another pops up, we'll know it and where to find it instantly. Beyond that...not much."

Wonder Woman rolls her eyes in disbelief at how little he thinks of that accomplishment. She looks him over at takes stock of his condition. "You're a wreck. You need sleep, then food, then a shower," she tells him.

"I can't sleep," he answers, though he does not tell her that it is the worry for his friend that keeps him up.

Diana bends down and whispers in his ear, "Sleep."

The Dark Knight slumps over, instantly asleep. Diana then removes the lasso from around his hand, and picks him up. She turns with him in her arms to Alfred and asks, "Can you show me to his bed?"

The Englishman smiles "Why of course your Highness," he answers and begins leading her up the stairs. "By the way, is there any way you could get me one of those?"

…

The large figure of the dark rocky-fleshed ruler of Apokolips stands gazing at his new minion with fiery eyes. "Are you sure he is ready Granny?" he asks.

"Of course Lord Darkseid," she answers. "He fought harder than most, but in the end he broke like all the rest."

Darkseid steps forward and gazes into the blank eyes of his new champion. "Tell me your name, and who you serve," he commands.

"My name is Superman, and I serve you Lord Darkseid," the Man of Steel answers.

_TBC. Please review and tell me what you think!_


	7. Home Coming

Thanks for the reviews you guys, glad you been liking it. As always I must give thanks to Hepburn for making this readable;-) Now heres chapter 7...

...

That night Bruce slept longer than he had in years, a full eight hours. Also that night he wasn't plagued by nightmares but dreams. Sweet dreams, all which starred the blue, red, and gold dressed Amazon. In the early afternoon he awakens feeling rested and at peace, alien feelings for him.

After he eats the tasty and nourishing breakfast left for him by Alfred, he showers, changes, and heads back to the cave. When he finishes the decent he sees the search program still running on the massive screen, and sighs. "Still nothing."

The door to the cave showers opens and Wonder Woman, dressed but still partly damp from her own recent shower, walks out. "Did you sleep well?" she asks.

Bruce turns to look at her and...The sight moves him. He has seen her step out of the shower once before, and he has seen her with his real eyes and not through his lenses once before, but either the combination of the two or the after affects of his dreams has changed something for him. Before she was beautiful, now she is... "Perfect," he can't help but voice.

"Batman?" she asks, confused by his new demeanor.

For some reason the fact that she calls him by that name makes her even more perfect. No voice of logic protest from him for once and he steps towards Diana, takes her face in his hands, and kisses her gently.

Though she is surprised at first, Diana finds that she quite likes this new experience. It isn't very deep and lustful, but it is fun and sends shivers through her. Very soon she is returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around him to pull him closer. As she enjoys her fist kiss the only thought that quickly passes through her mind is if her breastplate is digging into his chest?

The moment is ended when the Batcomputer announces that an alien portal has opened. Instantly the two heroes heads are in the game and they quickly get back to the computer. After hitting two keys the screen changes and Batman says, "Its in Gotham." In less than a minute he's in a new Batsuit and the two of them are in his car.

As they are hurtling down the tunnel Diana turns to him and says, "I do hope you know that when this is all over, we are finishing that...conversation."

The Batman keeps his eyes on the road, but he smirks a bit and replies, "Of course Princess."

…

They find the portal in Gotham Square, standing in front of it is Granny Goodness and the Female Furies. The Batmobile comes to a screeching halt in front of them and the two heroes leap out.

"How did I know you two scallywags would be here?" Granny asks.

"You have thirty seconds to tell us where Superman is or I'm going to make you all even uglier!" Wonder Woman tells them.

"You want Superman my little brat? Well you shall have him!" Granny shouts. A tall figure floats out of the white wormhole behind them. He's dressed in cape less alien armor and sporting a giant metal collar, but the figure is Superman. "Now my dear boy it is your time to shine! Attack!"

Superman's eyes glow red. "We're your friends Kal, stop!" Wonder Woman yells. Batman stands calmly next to her and remains silent.

Finally the Man of Steel fires a shot of heat-vision! "Ahh!" Granny Goodness yells as Superman's shot destroys her staff.

"I told you this wasn't going to end the way you wanted," he tells her before clobbering her.

Stompa leaps up and tries to smash the Kryptonian to the ground, but he easily dodges and begins hammering her with lefts and rights. As he is pounding on the huge woman Lashina leaps at his back with her electric whips ready when a golden lasso wraps around her and Wonder Woman pulls her away. Mad Harriet smiles with demented glee as she charges at Batman. The Dark Knight rolls under her swipe and slaps a sticky object to her stomach. She looks down at the thing stuck to her midsection as the light on it blinks. Then the whole thing explodes, knocking her on her back. The pissed off Furry flips over onto all fours and is about to pounce at him when Lashina is hurled down and smashes into her. Diana laughs then pulls back on the lasso and continues to thrash the two villains painfully together.

"Batman you have to close the Boom Tube, there's a whole army waiting to come through!" Superman yells, still trading blows with Stompa, "The hag has the control!"

The Batman quickly runs over to Granny Goodness' prone form and searches her for the control. As he finds it the hag suddenly wakes up and grabs him by the throat. Calmly he pulls out a special syringe from his belt and injects the strong sedative into her throat. A second later her eyes flutter close and she falls back to the ground. Without wasting a second he lifts up the remote and closes the Boom Tube.

Wonder Woman tosses Lashina and Mad Harriet onto Granny then Superman slams a badly beaten Stompa on the pile. Superman takes a deep cleansing breath then asks, "Could one of you help get this damn collar off?"

Wonder Woman looks at it, then takes it in one hand and balls her fist. "Brace yourself, this may hurt," she says.

"Or we can try this," Batman says, holding up a strange key. He steps up and unlocks the collar. "I found it on Granny Goodness when I was looking for the control."

The collar drops to the ground in two pieces and Clark stretches his neck in freedom. Diana sees scorch marks around his neck. "Those look bad, you should see a doctor," she tells him.

"All I need is some sun," he answers, smiling.

"They tried to brainwash you with torture?" Batman asks.

"Yeah," he answers, "They were good at it too. But after you get tortured and brainwashed a few times you start to build up a tolerance."

"You mean something like this has happened to you before?" Diana asks.

"I've lead a very active life," Clark answers. He looks back at Batman and asks, "How did you know I was in my right mind?"

"You didn't look angry with me," Batman answers. He holds up the Boom Tube remote, "I'm guessing they have more of these?"

"Oh yeah," Superman answers. "We got one mean bad guy and a planet sized army of crap coming our way and soon. We need to get ready."

"I'll start the preparations. You have someone you have to see," Batman tells him.

Clark smiles in gratitude, and then takes off and is soon a blur flying into the distance. "And make sure you change out of that awful outfit!" Diana yells after him.

The two remaining heroes bind the villains then leave them for the GCPD to take to Arkham and walk back to the car. "So what are these preparations you spoke of?" Wonder Woman asks, sitting down.

Batman gets behind the wheel, closes the top, and starts speeding back to the cave before he answers, "Well for starters I have some calls to make."

_TBC. Review and tell me what you guys think!_


	8. Let the battle begin

Hello all, been awhile since my last post, but I finally got another chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and as always a big special thanks to my BETA Hepburn! Without further ado...

The Batwoman and Azrael stand next to each other on top of a building in Gotham Square. Batwoman looks over the new high-tech rifle like weapon in her hands with awe. "Its amazing! Our boss took those Intergang pieces of space crap and made these things of pure beauty! Which is incredible considering how much he hates guns," she says.

"Our lord is himself a perfectionist, which is evident no matter what he creates," Azrael answers.

"Man I wish I could have seen the look on Renee's face when Gordon handed these babies out," she says testing the sight. "Tell me Az, why aren't you using one?"

"Because lady Batwoman," Azrael stops and expertly swings about his impressive two-handle flaming sword, "I prefer a much more elegant form of weaponry."

As the two stand on the roof, they hear the sound of a plane flying overhead, but look up and see nothing. A second later however Wonder Woman lands gracefully behind them. When he sees her, Azrael immediately goes to one knee. Diana raises an eyebrow at him as he says, "Your Highness, I am honored and humbled to be by your side on this day of war."

Diana shares a glance with Batwoman before she smiles and says, "Thank you. However since the battle might begin at any moment, might I suggest you get back on your feet and be ready to arms?"

"Of course, my lady," Azrael says before getting back to his feet.

"Wow! You finally got to do your Lancelot shtick for a real princess," Batwoman says.

Azrael ignores her and says to Diana, "I must say my lady, I am greatly impressed by your battle attire."

In fact Diana is now dressed in full body, intricate, red and gold armor with a helmet made to look similar to her tiara, a round almost Spartan looking gold shield, a wickedly sharp looking sword, and the lasso of truth hanging secured to her belt. "Thank you, I will be sure to give our forger Io your praise," she answers.

Batwoman looks the Amazon up and down for entirely different reasons. "So tell me Wonder Woman, is Themyscira really a lesbian paradise filled with ageless sex goddesses?"

The Amazon sighs. "No. My home is, in reality, not a pornographic fantasy."

"Damn, and I was already planning my vacation," Batwoman replies, smiling.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Diana answers. She gestures to Batwoman's weapon, "Is that one of Batman's preparations?"

"Yep, the boss has got one of these in the hands of every police officer in the city," she answers.

"Our lord has also contacted all of his allies and warned them of the coming assault," Azrael tells her.

"Allies?" Wonder Woman asks.

"Basically every superhero, government agency, and standing military," Batwoman answers, "probably some villains too."

"Where is Batman?" Wonder Woman asks.

"Right here," a deep voice, says from behind them. Out of the shadows steps the Dark Knight, and never before has the name been more appropriate. The hero stands before them in a suit of high-tech titanium-nth metal-nomex composite, body armor.

"My lord I must ask, why never before have you donned such armor?" Azrael asks.

"Because its only for special occasions Azrael," the Batman smoothly answers. "Superman is taking Ms. Lane and her fiancé to the Fortress, then he's coming back here to help take on the brunt of the invasion."

"How do you know that the bad guys are going to spear head the assault on Gotham?" Batwoman asks.

A moment later the skies light up over the City of Darkness, as large Boom-Tubes pop open in the sky. Swarms of Parademons erupt out of most, but out of one flies a deadly looking assault ship. And on the exposed bridge of that ship stands the tall fiery-eyed Darkseid.

"Gut feeling," Batman grimly answers.

…

Darkseid stands looking down at the battle unfolding beneath his ship. He finds himself slightly amused that the humans are using weapons obviously derived from his planets own technology to resist his invasion. "Darkseid!" a voice shouts from behind him, breaking his concentration.

He turns to find Superman hovering in the air, a look of angry resolve on his face. "Hello Superman. I should have known that Granny couldn't have broken so hard a specimen so quickly. I should have handled your education personally," the dark tyrant says.

"I'm giving you one chance, take your army and leave," the Man of Steel tells him.

"My army will leave, Kryptonian, once I have finished enslaving your people, stripping everything of worth from this planet, and killing any who would dare stand against me."

"Then I guess the only thing left is for me to make you regret those words," Superman states while balling his fists.

"Fool, you have not yet earned the right to die at my hand! Instead I shall introduce you to my son, Kalibak!" A large man, with an over sized head and arms wearing a green suit with long hair and a beard, leaps up from behind Superman and delivers a hammer-fist blow to his back, knocking him off the ship.

After giving his father a toothy smile, Kalibak leaps off after the hero. A second later Darkseid follows, carried through the air on a floating hover disk.

…

Batwoman stands on a corner of a roof, blasting away at her enemies with her new toy. "I think Batman likes this Super heroine," she says.

"Why would...thou...think that my lady?" Azrael asks as he hacks through waves of flying monsters with his burning blade.

"Well for starters he's letting her in his city, other than Superman he normally never lets an outsider let alone a meta in Gotham," Batwoman answers, before blowing apart an incoming attack skiff.

"True, though these are hardly normal times," Azrael comments, after cutting a parademon in half.

"Also when I saw them together on the roof before they went off, I could practically feel something in the..." she stops for a second to snipe a hound down the street that was trying to climb through a apartment window, "...air between them."

"Normally I would disagree, but after viewing the princess today with my own eyes I would have a hard time imagining any man not falling under her spell," Azrael tells her.

"Wow Az, you're not smitten for her yourself are you? Thinking about challenging the boss for her?"

"No, of course not lady Batwoman," He quickly answers, almost missing a talon swiping at his face. "Besides Jean-Paul is currently courting a waitress. If I tried for another woman's hand at present, I believe the whole situation would become...awkward."

Batwoman laughs as the battle continues.

…

Meanwhile on the streets bellow Batman and Wonder Woman battle an army of black and gray robot men. Batman can't help but enjoy his new armor, as it allows him to beat his enemies into sparking refuse with his own hands. From the few glances he is able to make behind him, he sees that he is almost keeping pace with the Warrior Goddess made flesh as she slices through her mechanical enemies.

Without warning, Batman suddenly dodges to his right, barely missing the energy ax that splits the ground where he just stood. "Not bad dark one, but can you dodge this!" Stephenwolf shouts as he takes another swing at the hero.

A round gold shield blocks the hunter's blade, as Diana steps in front of him. "Sorry," she says looking over it at him, "but you still have business with me." With that she makes a quick slash with her sword and slices a line through the villain's cheek and pushes him back with her shield. As Wonder Woman charges her enemy, an attack robot that stands three times larger than its fellows steps up to Batman.

The Amazon and the hunter trade blows back and forth, neither giving any ground. "You think you can take me this time girl?" Stephenwolf asks.

"Since I beat you last time, I would say yes," Diana answers, keeping pace with his swings.

Stephenwolf feints high with his ax, and as Wonder Woman moves her shield to block, he kicks out her legs, causing her to fall, but before she hits the ground however, the princess lunges forward and stabs her sword into the villain's side. As he falls to his knees holding his wound, Wonder Woman rolls to her feet and slams her shield down smartly on to the back of his head, knocking him out.  
Turning around to check on her partner, she finds him standing on the wrecked remains of the robot giant.

…

"I officially take back every bad thing I've ever said about Mr. Batman," Harvey Bullock says while shooting over his parked police car with one of the new weapons.

"You do know that he's going to want these back right?" His partner Renee Montoya tells him, as she take her turn shooting while he ducks back.

"I'm sure he would understand if a few go missing. With, you know, the crisis going on and all," he answers.

"Harvey if 'Mr. Batman' has any trouble finding yours, I'm banning donuts from the whole major crime unit," Gordon tells him as he shoots around the back of the car.

"Wow Commish', that's just low," Bullock answers.

…

As Batman and Wonder Woman finish taking apart the small army of robot men, a fiery explosion lights up the sky as Darkseid's ship destroys a police blimp. Batman then takes out a small round device out of his belt and hands it to Wonder Woman as he says, "Diana, do me a favor and throw this onto that ship."

"No problem," Diana answers, taking it from him.

The Amazon Princess performs a running leap into the air then using the hovering parademons as stepping-stones, propels herself ever upwards and forwards until finally throwing the device at the ship. The small round thing flies through the remaining space until it hits and attaches itself to the hull of the target.

A few seconds later, the deadly craft is bathed in what looks like an immense blue spotlight from on high. A few seconds later, as all aboard look up in true terror, a bright white lance of pure energy strikes down from the heavens and blows the ship to smoking embers.

…

Elsewhere the brute Kalibak keeps Superman on the defensive by hammering him with surprisingly quick blows. "I will crush every pathetic bone in your body Superman! Then I will tear off your head and present it to my father, who will..."

The savage prince doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as Superman lets loose a burst of speed and zips over to his back to deliver a painful knee to his spine. Kalibak howls in pain, then swings with a massive back hand at his foe. The Man of Steel ducks the blind blow, then delivers a series of devastating thunderous blows to the massive alien's stomach, chest, and face.

As Kalibak stumbles back in pain Superman tells him, "Never count your chickens…" before he delivers a final shattering blow to the jaw that knocks the brute out.

The hero doesn't get to savor his victory long though. "Aaaahhhhhh!" Superman howls in pain before falling to his knees.

On the hover disk behind the Kryptonian, floats the dour faced ruler of Apokolips. "Congratulations Superman. You have won the honor of having your life snuffed out by me. Enjoy your prize," Darkseid tells the fallen hero as anther fiery blast shoots from his eyes at him.

_TBC. Please review and tell me how its coming along._


	9. Hard Won Victory

Thank you to everyone who reviewd and favored this story, I've finally gotten another chapter done. As always thanks from all goes to my BETA Hepburn! Here is chapter 9...

Three police officers look up to see the sight of the massive alien ship being destroyed. Bullock whistles in approval. "Nobody can ever call the Bat 'soft'!" he says.

"Maybe the city can hire him for 4th of July celebrations," Montoya suggests, opening fire on another wave of aliens.

Wonder Woman drops out of the sky in front of them, scattering the creatures. She nods her head to each of the officers. "I would like to personally welcome you to Gotham your highness," Gordon tells her.

"Thank you, it is a lovely city, and I've been really enjoying myself." Diana answers while cutting a parademon in half. "You wouldn't know where I could find either Batman or Superman would you?"

"There have been interesting energy flashes in the sky in that direction," Montoya answers, pointing.

"Thank you officers," Diana says before leaping away.

…

Darkseid looks down at the smoking body of the hero at his feet. "You can withstand a great amount of punishment Kal-El. It is an admiral trait. You would have been an excellent knight. Now you are simply an interesting victim," the dark god tells him, as his eyes brighten again for another blast.

Before he can fire the Batman leaps up from behind Darkseid and jams a batarang into each of his eyes. The tyrant roars in pain and rage and then throws the Caped Crusader off of him. Darkseid reaches up to pull out the weapons only for them to explode in his face.

The Batman rolls to his feet to find Darkseid still standing, with black smoke billowing up from his face. The villain's eyes spark once as his Omega-Beam fails, then he charges at the hero. Batman ducks two blows and throws a left at his opponent's jaw, which only manages to break his gauntlet. Darkseid retorts with a backhand that throws the Dark Knight head over feet to land on his face on the ground.

Before Batman can even think about moving his enemy delivers a savage running kick to his side that sends him skidding across the roof. His armor does help to protect him, as only three of his ribs simply crack instead of shatter.

"You insolent vermin," Darkseid says as he saunters forward. When he reaches Batman he stomps his foot down on his leg, crushing the armor and snapping the bone. "Did you truly believe you could defeat me?"

The Dark Knight looks up at him and smirks. "No," he answers.

Darkseid cries out in pain as a heat-vision blast zaps him in the back of the head. He then turns just in time for Superman to punch him in the face so hard it knocks him up off his feet. The Man of Steel flies forward and continues his assault. "You attack me," punch, "attack my city," punch, "torture me," punch, "and my friends! Not on my watch!" he shouts with a thunderous blow.

Darkseid catches one of Superman's fists in each hand. "I am not some alien fool like your other opponents. I am a god. And after I kill you I will place your head on a spike for all of your adopted world to see, and their spirit will shatter at the sight," he tells the hero.

"Not...gonna...happen!" Superman answers as he struggles in his grasp.

"You can not defeat me Superman," Darkseid tells him. Then he head-butts him, stunning the Kryptonian, and then hits him with a right cross, knocking him back.

Darkseid raises his arm again for another blow, but when he tries to punch he finds it caught by a golden lasso. "He is not alone!" Wonder Woman shouts as she pulls herself forward and lands a soaring kick to his broken face.

Back to his senses and inspired by the Amazon's attack, the Man of Steel lands a knee into the dark god's back and an elbow into his damaged head. Enraged Darkseid starts throwing wild blows at Superman, the other hero forgotten in his rage. That proves to be a mistake, for as he goes berserk at her ally Diana uses the opportunity to wrap him up tight in the lasso.

By the time Darkseid realizes he's being entangled it is already too late, for he is now bound in the unbreakable cord. "Yield!" Wonder Woman demands.

The lasso glows but the villain laughs. "Your pathetic tricks will not work on me," he tells her.

"In that case..." she answers, punching him in the face. A second later Superman joins in and the two beat him to the ground.

"It's over Darkseid, give up!" Superman shouts.

"Very well Kryptonian, slay me, then watch as my hoard lay waste to your world. For without my word they will battle to the last man, and nothing you do will deter them," he answers.

"I don't know about that. You thought that killing Superman would break the spirit of this world. I wonder how it would effect your army if they saw their god die," Diana says.

The lord of Apokolips seems to consider this for a moment. "Very well then. Release me and I will take my army and leave for this day," he says.

"No," a deep voice says. The three look over to see the Batman approach limping. Superman uses his X-ray vision to check over his wounds, and is amazed his friend is still conscious let alone walking. "First all of your warriors will throw down their arms, then you will destroy your entire fleet, all your attack vessels, and all your robots," the Dark Knight calmly tells him as he steps gingerly forward. "Or my friends will crush your head."

In order to help speed up Darkseid's decision, Wonder Woman puts her hand on each side of his head and begins to squeeze. "I...arg...Accept your conditions!"

…

A few hours later Boom Tubes open around the world, and the unarmed and defeated armies of Darkseid step through in defeat. In Gotham Azrael and Batwoman lead the bound Female Furries, behind them Bullock and Montoya march Granny Goodness, Kaliback, and Steppenwolf, then behind them Superman himself half carries Darkseid to the waiting portal. As they near their destination the defeated lord speaks up, "You know this is just a set back Kryptonian. One day I shall return and make this whole world suffer."

All the others have been sent through, but Superman stops and turns Darkseid around so that he's looking at him and his back is to the Boom Tube. "We'll be waiting," Superman tells him. Then he clobbers him with a booming right hook that sends the bastard flying backwards through the portal. A second later it closes and everyone around begins to cheer.

On a rooftop across the street the Batman and Wonder Woman look on. "Princess would you be so kind as to fly me home," he asks.

"Of course Batman, I would be delighted to" she answers. Then she stops and looks at him, "Why?"

"Because I think I'm about to pass out," he answers. A second later he falls weak into her arms.

_TBC. Reviews are always welcome!_


	10. Epilogue

Thank you everyone who has followed this story, and a special thanks from me to everyone who reviewed. As always all thanks to the legibility of this goes to my BETA Hepburn (applause!). Now here is the final chapter.

...

A few days had passed and Bruce was mending surprisingly well. His healing might have been influenced by Diana's last words to him on the day of victory, "We'll finish that conversation after your back on you feet. Trust me, you'll need all of your strength."

Bruce now sits on his nice and comfortable couch in front of his ridiculously huge TV, with his leg in a cast and his ribs wrapped up tight. He has been feeling so much better that he sent Alfred out to have a night on the town with the much neglected Leslie. While he sits on his sofa comfortably ensconced with a wall of cushions and the remote within reach the doorbell rings.

" Just when I finally get comfortable!" grouses Bruce. "The person at the door better be a beautiful super-heroine," Bruce growls to himself as he hobbles his way to the door.

He opens the massive door to see Clark Kent on the other side. "Hey Bruce, you're looking better," he says cheerfully.

The Batman glares at him.

"You mind if I come in?" Clark asks, not put off by his friend's icy stare.

The glare continues unchanged.

Clark holds up a six-pack, "I brought beer." Bruce arches an eyebrow and then lets him through. "Um...you drink?" he asks.

Bruce grabs a bottle, pops the lid, and then downs half of it in one gulp. "Ahh. No," Bruce answers, before leading him back to the living room.

The two take a seat on huge couch next to each other and Bruce flips through a couple of channels looking for something to watch. "What are you looking for, Football?" Clark asks.

"No, Rugby," Bruce answers.

"Rugby?" Clark asks, taking a bottle.

"Yes, its like Football but better," Bruce tells him.

The two settle down and get into the game. The action heats up as both sides struggle for dominance. "Did he just choke slam that guy?" Clark asks.

Bruce shrugs, "He should have known better than to gloat," he answers.

Clark grabs another beer for Bruce and as he hands him it he asks, "So Bruce the reason why I'm here is...I'm going to need a best man."

Bruce smiles, "No you don't."

The two clink beer bottles and go back to watching the game.

…

A month later Wonder Woman flies down to the Fortress of Solitude and is excited to see the Batwing already parked there. She hops down out of her jet and sees the Dark Knight waiting beside his plane. "He called you too?" he asks.

"Yes, he said its something important," she answers. She smoothly strides up to the Batman, looking him up and down. "You are looking well, back to full strength yet?" she asks suggestively.

He smirks and raises an eyebrow, "Yes. More than enough to handle anything you can throw at me."

"Brave words mortal," she tells him.

"Save it for your own headquarters," Superman says jokingly as he floats down to them.

"Hello Kal," Diana greets him with a smile.

"So what's so important?" Batman asks.

The two new arrivals follow Superman as he led them through his home away from home. "The day of the invasion, we joined forces to take down Darkseid and saved Gotham. But while we were doing that, all around the world other costumed heroes banded together to handle their side of the fight."

"Nothing like a world invasion to bring heroes together." Batman says.

"Nothing like a war to forge an army." Wonder Woman retorts.

"Exactly! And it got me thinking, if we could come together in a moments notice, imagine what we would be like if we work with each other more often, what if we worked and trained together on a regular basis?" Superman asks.

Batman stops and begins to shake his head slightly, "Clark..."

"Bruce come on, you practically have your own super-group in your city, plus you got the police to work with you. Buddy we need you in on this," Superman tells him.

"Also everything would go so much smoother with all that Wayne money backing us up," Wonder Woman remarks smiling.

"So I take it you're ready to sign on?" The Dark Knight asks her.

"Of course, I like working in groups. It is the Amazon way to work together for the common good," she answers.

Batman thinks on it for a few minutes in silence before he says, "Gotham will always come first."

"Of course, just like Metropolis for me and anyone's home city," Superman assures him.

"So we're starting a world wide hero militia!" Wonder Woman says excitedly.

"Um...I was thinking more of a League," Superman says, "and not just against alien invasion, but to help people and catch criminals and..."

"Up hold Justice," Batman finishes for him.

Diana smiles at him, "Looks like you are in."

"Well Clark's right, you will need my help," Bruce answers.

"Great! Just great!" Clark says, "I know that the Flash is ready and willing, and the Martian will be a great addition, and I know at least one of the Lanterns..."

"Wait a second, I have an idea," Wonder Woman stops him, "if we are going to be the center of this League, I think we should perform an old Amazon ritual to bind us together."

"Nothing too kinky Princess, the Boy Scout is getting married in the Spring," Batman says.

Diana rolls her eyes, "Don't worry Batman, all the kinky Amazon rituals only involve two," she tells him jokingly. The woman warrior kneels down on the ground and motions for the two men to follow her example. Once they join her on the ground Diana explains, "When Amazon warriors join together to form a unit, they first sit down and each soldier shares something with the group that they have never told anyone else. This ritual is meant to bind the group together and forge a bond of trust and understanding."

As one both men answer, "Huh?"

"Alright, I will go first," Diana, says. She takes a deep breath and begins, "When I was a young girl, I once left Themyscira and walked in Man's world." Both men lean forward, now deeply interested in her story. "Aphrodite came to me one night, and asked me if I wanted to see something beyond my imagination. All I had ever seen was the island; I was more excited than words could describe to see more! The goddess took me to a city with narrow streets and tall buildings, gargoyles stared down at me from on high, and the whole place was filled with new and wonderful people, it was all lit up by gaslights!" Superman glances at Batman and is surprised to see him unmoved by the apparent age of their Wondrous friend. "Then the most amazing thing happened," Diana, continues, "the sky opened up and snow started to fall! It was the first time I had ever experienced such a thing. It was truly magical for winter is unknown on Themyscira! I danced in the falling flakes as Aphrodite watched and laughed, then as Morpheus began to lull me to his realm, she whisked me back home and to my bed. It all felt so like a dream but she left me a token of my visit in the form of a crystal shaped snowflake. It is one of my secret treasures kept in a locked chest in my bedroom in the royal palace. I have never told anyone that story, not even my dear mother Queen Hippolyta."

"Wow Diana, that was really nice," Clark said. The two look at Bruce, but they found him deep in thought. "I guess I can go next," the Man of Steel said. "Mine also comes from my childhood. You see when I was a kid, before I knew anything about my origins...I used to dream about Krypton." This gets Bruce to look up and Diana also seems surprised by this. "I dreamed of an alien world with red skies and strange people with fantastic technology. I knew nothing about where I was from, I thought I was dreaming of Mars," he laughs at the memory. "It was years before I learned about my origins, and it was even longer before I was to see anything from Krypton. I was amazed it was so familiar and comforting."

"I guess that means your home will always live on in you," Diana says.

"Yeah maybe," Clark answers.

The two then turn to find the Batman still lost in though. "Its okay Bruce if you don't..." Clark lets the sentence hang.

The Batman looks up at his companions and says, "When I was seven my father took me out into the garden. I remember that he had been unusually distant that whole week, but that day he took me out and he knelt down in front of me and hugged me close. I hugged him back and asked him if he was all right? He pulled back and looked at me with barely contained tears in his eyes and said: 'Bruce, I want you to know that I love you more than life itself. But sometimes life is hard. Sometimes you loose what you love, and when that happens, it can feel like your life is over. But its not Bruce. Oh I'm not saying it won't hurt, because it would. It would be like a burning fire in your veins. That fire could destroy you my son. Or you could learn to use it, to harness it. That fire can turn you into something...beyond imagination. Something that can change the world.' I looked up at him confused as I've ever been and I told him I didn't understand. My father looked at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen and told me, 'One day you may'. He hugged me again, and then he lead me back inside. He never mentioned it again, and in time, for a while, I forgot about it. A year later they were...gone." His friends stare at him in stunned silence. "I think I might be willing to give up everything I have, just to know why he said that."

After sitting in silence for a few minutes Clark reaches forward and places his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Your father never said you'd do it alone did he?" he asks.

Bruce smirks, "No he didn't."

"And you don't have to," Diana says, "for in this League of ours you will be among friends. And we will do great and amazing things."

Then the three heroes stood together, and made plans to change the world.

_The end, please review!_


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